It has been 12 years already since Brendan Dassey was sentenced to life in prison.
He was allegedly participating in the death of Teresa Halbach, the 25-year-old photographer.
This crime became famous because there was a documentary series that was aired on Netflix, Making a Murderer.
Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin denied his clemency.
There was a campaign for Dassey by a legal team for him to receive clemency. Tens of thousands signed the petition and an open letter also consisting of signatures by psychological experts and even national ones, former police officials, and some persecutors.
The unsigned letter on December 17 as per the Governor’s pardon advisory said that the message is not eligible for a pardon because first of all, he has not even completed his sentence in 5 years, and he didn’t register himself as a sex offender who was one of the requirements too.
During the conviction, he was convicted of first-degree murder, mutilation of a corpse, and second-degree sexual assault. He was sentenced to life in prison with the earliest possibility of parole in 2048.
The letter was posted and said:
Dear Mr. Dassey,
Unfortunately, we are unable to consider your application for pardon because you do not meet one or more of the required eligibility conditions. Specifically, you are currently ineligible because:
- It has not been at least five (5) years since you completed your entire sentence for the conviction you want to be pardoned
- You are currently required to register as a sex offender Wis. Sta. 301.45
Also, the Governor is not considering requests for commutation.
Brendan Dassey was only 16 at that time, and the lawyers have said that the investigators were using improper techniques during the questioning. They made some false promises to him of being released if he spoke of the photographer’s death. Now, he is 30 years old.
Dassey’s uncle Steven Avery found guilty of Halbach’s murder and that the US Magistrate Judge William Duffin said that the conviction was overturned since his confession was involuntary.
The 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals would have freed Dassey, but one judge said that the case was a “profound miscarriage of justice.”
The Making of a Murderer, which was released in December 2016 on Netflix, won four Emmys.
The series was produced in over ten years in addition to the conviction of Dassey.
He was serving 18 years in prison for being wrongfully convicted of sexual assault and attempted murder of Penny Beersten before his DNA was found in the evidence for the murder of Halbach in 2007.
Kim Kardashian West is part of the Dassey’s legal team and was backing him up. She is a major advocated for prison reform.
During the plea for Dassey’s clemency, Governor Evers said that he would not be swayed to give him special case treatment because of Kardashian West’s support.
Read More: Hilary Duff Gets Married Again!
